Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Love Affair ❯ MERLE! What are you doing here? ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9

Hitomi took off into the forest, her hair blowing in the wind behind her as she sped through the different trails to get back to the castle. Luckily for her, despite the many turns and twists when she first began, her way back was much easier to find. All the winding roads that extended out and back led to a specific trail that headed back. Not only that, but the trail was cleared, a clear sign that many had traveled upon it.

She had parted ways with Dilandau after walking through some trees to wear his guymelef knelt, awaiting its operator. He'd been strangely quiet the whole way but she didn't ask any questions. Despite their many… `encounters', she had yet to find out who he truly was. It's as if he had a split personality. One minute he was being an asshole and screaming, "BURN! BURN! BURN!!!" and the next minute, he's making hot passionate…

Well anyway! She gained speed hoping the cool winds would slowly reduce the warmth that had spread through her cheeks.

`My! Just thinking about it makes me flustered!'

She saw the top of the castle come into view over the tops of the trees. As close as she was, she couldn't help but worry that she wouldn't make it or if someone had come to visit her during the night and she hadn't been there. But if that were true then most likely, her nice night would have abruptly ended with guards finding them or something of the sort. Luckily she saw the garden coming into view through the foliage and burst through some slight brush to gain access to the clearing of the gardens.

"Crap…" She muttered as she realized that she had to climb her way back into her room. It looked pretty high and well… in gym she had never been much of a rope climber. Running she could do, climbing was a completely different story.

Taking hold of a vine, she gave a tug to see if it was firm or not. Seeming so, she lifted off the ground and planted her feet firmly against the side of the castle. Pulling and stepping, she slowly but steadily made her way up the side hoping to all she believed in that no guards would patrol the gardens and just happen to see her climbing back onto her room.

`I feel like a girl who just snick out of her house to do something wrong…' She snorted and kept climbing, `Scratch that! I did exactly that! Except… it was pretty good!'

Her hands were starting to hurt from the strain she put on them and not being used to doing such things before, she had broken out into a sweat.

"Why can't they just put ladders here?" She groaned when she nearly at the balcony's edge. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on her side and the vine started to tear. She had come pretty high up and the fall would severely injure her. She hurried her pace but just as she was reaching for the balcony, the vine snapped and she felt the weight of her body and the pull of gravity working on her. She couldn't speak, she couldn't talk and she could hardly breathe. Her thoughts were whirling in her brain and time slowed down as she experienced another fall to her doom.

`What is it with me and falling?' She thought before she felt something grab her wrist and hold her, suspended in air. Her eyes were closed and her body, limp and whatever held her was groaning like mad.

"Open your eyes, stupid girl! I can't hold you forever!" The voice growled at her.

She snapped her eyes open to see a very annoyed cat girl with pink hair and an orange dress. She reached up with her other hand and pulled, using her feet to propel her up as they scraped against the side of the castle wall. Merle pulled her up with all her strength, nearly going over herself but eventually Hitomi was able to topple over to the other side, unfortunately she landed on top of Merle. They landed in a heap of arms and legs!

"Hey, get off of me!" Merle yelled and tried to push off Hitomi but her head was yanked in the process and she yelped.

"Merle! Your hair is stuck to my pendant! Hold on a sec!" Hitomi sat up carefully, bring Merle's head to her bosom while she tried to untangle the girl's hair from her necklace. After a few minutes it came undone and Merle bounded away from the girl and into her room. Merle stopped between the balcony and the room and turned around to glance at Hitomi. She sat on the floor, her mind working at alarming speeds. She was worried.

Hitomi's eyes slowly moved from her pendant and up to where Merle stood. The curtains blew slightly as a sudden breeze rushed past her. The sun finally peeked far enough over the trees and a blinding light lit up the balcony making it's way over Merle's form. The wind rustled her pink hair and the transparent curtains behind her, the sun playing beautifully on her skin, giving it a glow as she watched mesmerized. The girl looked absolutely heavenly and she couldn't help but gasp.

But the moment was outlived when a shadow crosses, masking the balcony and Merle into darkness once more. A scream barely reached her ears but she heard it just enough to know that a guard had seen what she had yet to. And now that guard was alarming other castle guards and the word was spreading that a zaibach guymelef had been spotted and was now hovering near the Lady Hitomi's bedchamber.

Hitomi didn't look back at the patiently waiting Dilandau but watched as Merle's once serene and heavenly expression turned to that of confusion and slight fear. Hitomi stood and walked past the gaping girl, into her room. She quickly grabbed her bag, threw in her essentials and ran out, past the still shocked Merle.

"Hitomi…" Merle called out. It was a faint sound among the clamor that was beginning to sound in the castle. Hitomi stopped a few feet in front of her and turned, awaiting what she knew Merle was going to say.

"I know… but it's the only way…" Hitomi whispered as Merle stepped toward her, "I'm sorry that I'm going to hurt him but…"

"You promised…"Merle whispered as she embraced Hitomi in a loose hug.

"I can't be with him. Not after… I… I'm so confused, Merle. I don't know what's wrong with me…" She whispered as Merle's hug tightened. The faint medley of near voices brought her back to the conscious world and she gently pried Merle off of her, "I have to go now…"

"No… wait, you promised!" Merle cried out and hugged Hitomi again but she refused to let go.

The sound of keys jingling reached her ears and she turned her head back to the hovering guymelef. The crima claw was already out and ready to grasp Hitomi but first Merle had to let go. But she wouldn't.

"Hitomi!" A male voice erupted from the depths of her room and she looked back at Dilandau and nodded. The crima claw wrapped around both Hitomi and Merle just as Van appeared in the space between room and balcony.

"No! Put them down!" Van screamed as they started to rise. He could do nothing but watch now as they rose higher into the atmosphere. Escaflowne was on the other side of the castle and he swore as he ran through the halls trying desperately to make it in time to at least attempt to follow them. He reached it in a matter of what seemed like seconds and he climbed into and took off, reverting to the dragon as he flew into the skied where they had departed but by the time he got there, they were already gone. He swore darkly.

`He has them both now…"

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Merle held on tightly to Hitomi as the flew quickly through the harsh winds. She was slightly shivering but Hitomi was doing worse. Her lips had a slightly bluish tint to them and her body was curled around Merle's so she was blocking most of the wind from reaching her body. Her body was trembling almost violently as she clutched onto Merle and her bag.

"We're almost there…" Hitomi whispered as a picture of the Vione flashed in her mind. There was a slight mist in the air, preventing any sight of around five feet in front of them. They slowed down as Dilandau started to descend. Something big and dark came into view in front of them as he made a soft landing onto the docking stations. Setting them down and releasing them, he jumped out of his guymelef and ran up to them. He was partly angry but he tried to remain indifferent about the whole situation.

Hitomi was freezing. Almost as soon as they had been set down, her legs started to wobble and she collapsed onto the deck. Merle went down with her and they both shivered like mad until Dilandau ran up to them. He glanced at Merle and frowned slightly but when he got a look at Hitomi he shrank down next to her and pulled her into his lap, inevitably bring Merle along with her, seemingly because Hitomi refused to let go of Merle and Merle refused to let go of Hitomi.

He ran his palms up and down her arms, trying to bring some warmth back into them but she continued to shiver.

"Damn it!" He swore and stood. He reached down and gathered them both in his arms and walked into the many halls of the Vione. He saw many of his dragon slayers and shot them dirty looks when they started to gape at him. He walked down to his room and told Merle to punch in the unlock number. She did and they walked into the dark room. He set them on the bed and hurled the covers over them before going back to the door and changing the code and then turning on the light.

The pair hadn't moved and the blanket was still completely covering them from head to foot… to tail. Speaking of, Merle's tail was twitching under the covers. He growled in irritation. This would definitely ruin his plans for her stay…

He walked over to the bed and sat down. The bed sunk in slightly with his weight and he glared at the still unmoved pair. He then decided to climb in himself. Hitomi was still cold but no longer trembling as much as she had been and her lips were back to their regular color. He seemed to forget that Merle was there and he pulled Hitomi back against his chest. His hand rested on her thigh and he buried his face into the back of her neck. His hot breath sent shivers down her spine and she pressed back further into his chest, welcoming his warm embrace. She closed her eyes forgetting about Merle as well and tangled her legs with his. He planted soft kisses against the back of her neck as his hand slid from her thigh to rest on her waist.

"Why didn't you tell me you were cold? I would've helped warm you up…" He whispered as hot patches of his breathe played along her neck, making the fine hairs stand on end.

"Ewww! Can't you guys just chill until I'm at least not in here?"

Both their eyes popped open at the annoying voice. Hitomi blushed and Dilandau growled.

"We've had sex several timed in this bed, just in case you'd like to know…" Dilandau said coolly to the pink haired cat girl.

"Hey! Dilandau!" Hitomi's blush darkened when Merle looked at her with a shocked expression.

Dilandau got the desired reaction when Merle squealed and quickly jumped out of the bed, screaming something about sex germs and needing new skin. He pulled the cover back over their heads and rolled on top of Hitomi and planting his lips firmly but gently on hers. She responded and moaned slightly when his hand started to knead her breast. But their romance was short lived when the covers were abruptly pulled from their heads. They broke their kiss and turned their heads to the side to glare at Merle.

Her jaw dropped when she saw their position. Dilandau was straddling Hitomi's waist and her arms were fastened around his neck. His, however… one was keeping him up while the other was on her left breast, "I said knock it off, already!"